Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

"Oh..."

This passage contained too much information, and Burning Worm only vaguely understood it. The only thing she clearly understood was the phrase "far away from us." She stopped worrying and continued to observe the ground.

This time, Poison Baby and Jaw Needle arrived even faster. It's estimated that no one believed the Poison Baby that first discovered the light, but now that more and more Pokémon have confirmed it, they all rushed out at once.

It's unknown how many poisonous babies lived in the cave below. The narrow passage was turbulent for almost an hour before it finally calmed down.

The once barren ground has now become a purple ocean, so densely packed that it could make anyone with trypophobia faint on the spot.

There were also a few platinum Poison Babies mixed in, which should be a relatively rare variant.

Ignoring the blinding sunlight, they looked up with anticipation in the direction of the burning insects, their hope and joy filling every corner of the earth.

Whether it was the power of faith that was frantically increasing, the atmosphere among the elves below, or some kind of spontaneous sense of accomplishment, the Burning Insect was extremely happy at this moment.

Watching the toxic babies below singing and dancing in celebration without getting tired, time flew by, and suddenly a warm feeling came from all around.

The Burning Worm knew she had returned to the real world.

…………

October 30th, a rare sunny day.

After several days of hard and soft furnishing work, Xia Chen's new home was finally completed, and she officially moved in.

There was no housewarming party, but the party to be held the day after tomorrow will barely take on that responsibility.

Today, he simply invited a few people from Zhijiang to have a small gathering at his new home.

There weren't many people, just the assistant Yan Shu, the working woman Christa, Jiang Qian and her son, and their elf.

Since everyone knew each other, the atmosphere was naturally harmonious.

Full-time stay-at-home dad Xia Chen finally introduced his new baby, Burning Bug, to his friends, so that he wouldn't be too shy to come out when there are even more people around the next day.

But clearly, the firefly isn't the type to be shy around strangers.

Xia Chen had no idea that she had seen thousands of elves and heard millions of words in the world of the Ultimate Space these past few days, and simply assumed that she was naturally unafraid of strangers.

Speaking of which, this little guy is growing quite fast. In less than a week, he has grown to seventy centimeters, like a plant that has been given a growth spurt.

Standing next to her, Jiang Han, who was almost ten years old, looked no bigger than the Burning Insect at first glance, which was somewhat strange.

As for his strength, Xia Chen hadn't tested it. He was only a week old; starting training him now would be too outrageous.

Next year will feature two major tournaments: the World Dojo Masters Tournament and the Donghuang Tournament. The former will be held in the first half of the year, and the latter in the second half.

Given the age of the Burning Worm, it probably won't catch up, so there's no need to rush. Just let it grow happily.

After a satisfying meal, Xia Chen and Jiang Qian chatted in the living room, while the elves socialized both inside and outside the house.

Having only recently been born, the newly joined companion, the Burning Bug, is already showing signs of becoming the center of attention and a popular sprite.

The group led by Duolongqi and Saifuhao were all concerned about her, but their main purpose was to find out her "secrets." This had become a routine for Xia Chen's family whenever a new member joined the team.

However, they didn't just ask questions; they also brought some sincerity—a belated birth gift, or rather, a greeting gift.

…………

The most outgoing of them all, Doronchi, was the first to present his gift: a gemstone that was fiery red with hints of green.

The gemstone's green hue isn't because it's been greened, but because this fire-attribute energy gemstone contains insect-type energy.

This is a top-tier dual-attribute energy gem for fireflies, specially crafted by Doronki for fireflies. It's not particularly rare, but it's very useful for newly hatched fireflies.

"Hey~ (Hey, this is a little gift for you~)"

Doronchi circled around the Burning Worm, which reminded the latter of the Poison Baby that appeared in swarms in that world, both equally silly.

She spent most of this week alone with Xia Chen and hadn't seen Duolongqi and the others much, so she didn't develop much enthusiasm for him out of affection for him.

Despite not being afraid of life, the Burning Worm is quite cautious – ever since it accepted the task given to it by "Light".

That evil and eerie gaze, the terrifying look that sent chills down Chong's spine at the mere thought of it, remained buried deep within her heart, lingering there forever.

This brought about a change in Burning Worm that she herself did not notice, a caution that even her close partner, Doronchi, did not immediately trust.

Please vote for me!

Every 500 is counted as 10,000 per day in the next month, but this counts as two days.

Please don't pity me!

Chapter 356 Gathering, Xia Chen's Friends' Reunion!

Dorgonchi is not a dragon who is afraid of being rejected. If he had someone he liked, he would probably be called "Boiling Dragon" for his behavior.

So when he saw the not-so-enthusiastic Burning Insect, he didn't care much, just assuming it was because the Burning Insect was shy.

After forcing the energy gem onto the Burning Worm, Doronchi circled around her with a grin, trying to cheer her up and ease her nervousness and shyness.

Her self-righteous approach did not resolve Burning Worm's inner conflict; she continued to watch Doronchi's performance with a blank expression.

Fortunately, the observant Gardevoir noticed Salamence's mood in time and stopped Dragapult, thus ending what could hardly be called a farce.

Having learned from Doronchi's mistake, the other elves gradually lost their desire to pry into the secrets.

Without this special bond, although they didn't say it, they felt a slight distance from their new partner.

Xia Chen, who was paying attention to this area, saw it all but didn't say anything, just silently kept it in mind.

Burning Bug is still young and probably doesn't understand social etiquette or the concept of "in the world, you rely on power." He'll be better when he grows up.

Let's leave that matter aside for now.

The next day was another sunny day, and the temperature rose to nearly 20 degrees Celsius, making it comfortable and pleasant.

The weather in Zhijiang is so unpredictable.

With only one day left before the gathering begins, the invited guests are gradually arriving at Yuanling Island.

The first person to arrive on the island was Mingyi, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Accompanying her was Nimo, Xia Chen's senior who had been well taken care of during his trip to the Padia region.

Due to its geographical location and climate, Orange Academy's holidays are very strange. Unlike Donghuang's winter and summer vacation system, this is the beginning of the longest holiday at the end of the year.

However, even without holidays, given the open academic atmosphere of that famous academy, sneaking away to Donghuang for a few days wouldn't be a problem.

…………

"Claver wanted to come over for a visit, but unfortunately he's busy with the holiday week."

The student council president addresses the current principal by his full name and refers to him as "this guy," which can be considered a unique example of "filial piety."

Nemo still looked youthful, energetic, and full of vitality. When she first visited Xia Chen's new home and saw the brand-new battlefield, she immediately felt the urge to have a match.

Xia Chen flatly rejected this battle maniac without any hesitation.

It's been almost half a year since I last saw my childhood sweetheart. What's the point of us not reminiscing and talking about love when we finally meet again? Instead, I'm going to have a battle with her.

Nemo pursed her lips and remained silent.

Mingyi watched Qingmei bickering with her best friend and smiled.

Since Xia Chen left Padia, she has been on a gym challenge journey and has now collected all eight badges.

After I return from this holiday, I will be able to attend the League Conference to be held in Tabletop City next March.

After half a year of living outdoors in harsh conditions, this girl's skin is still fair, though she does look a little thinner.

Whether it's the contrast of his waistline or some growth, he seems to have grown up a bit, making him the complete opposite of a certain current Unova champion.

Mingyi's strength has also grown. When they parted, only Serperior and Cinderace had barely reached the elite level. Now, except for the pseudo-legendary Frostleaf, which has not yet evolved into its third form, they all have the strength of the elite level.

Compared to Xia Chen, there is definitely a big gap, but even in the elite Orange Academy, such a leap is a remarkable growth rate.

Nemo said that at the same age, she probably couldn't beat Mingyi.

As to whether this was modesty or the truth, Xia Chen had no way of knowing.

Speaking of which, Xia Chen also invited Papa, with whom he had a strange experience, and Qi Shu, the Gym Leader of Brewmaster City, from Padia.

Unfortunately, Xia Chen couldn't get in touch with the former, and the latter couldn't come because of the long distance, so he had to give up.

However, he plans to go to Padia early next year to resolve the issue of Doraki's evolution. If he has time then, he might visit Miss Kiju, who may or may not be a caged bird.

…………

Before Nemo and Mingyi had even finished touring their new home, more guests arrived on the island—

Superpower Queen, Unova's new champion, Xia Chen's mentor, Miss Cattleya, has graced us with her presence.

This guy flew directly eastward across the lake next to the villa on a sword, exuding an ethereal aura. The "sword" he rode was actually a super-evolved Metagross.

"Why does it need Mega Evolution? I don't remember Mega Evolution Metagross being faster!"

Xia Chen came out to greet him and asked him something.

Actually, Xia Chen remembered it wrong. Mega Metagross is indeed much faster than its normal form, but that's not why Gadria is faster.

"I heard you fainted on the battlefield a few days ago because of Mega Evolution. That was so embarrassing. After Mega Evolution, Metagross and I didn't feel any difference in our mental and physical strength."

She said this out of the blue, it was unclear whether she was mocking or encouraging her, but Xia Chen felt that given Cattleya's wicked nature, the former was more likely.

He couldn't help but retort, "That's because Gardevoir and Sylveon both Mega Evolved in the same match, simultaneously, understand?"

Caitlya released her Mega Alakazam and Mega Gallade from the Poké Ball, and Xia Chen remained silent.

She welcomed Gadria, who was already angry with her, into the house and had Xia Chen take her to her room to rest.

Xia Chen knew that with this guy's mental strength, which was even more terrifying than hers, he wasn't really tired; he just didn't want to communicate with Ming Yini Mo.

Cattleya has never had any concept of polite social interaction; she doesn't like wasting time on such useless things.

If it were an ordinary person, even a champion, they would inevitably be affected by this. But Gadalia is completely different; she is adorably unconventional.

Nemo, who was quite interested in this famous superhero champion, was turned away before she could even start talking to him, which was inevitably a bit frustrating.

But the girl, naturally cheerful and enthusiastic, forgot about the incident after running around and playing in the flower field where many skirt-wearing ladies and cherry blossoms lived.

After settling Nemo and Gadria in, Xia Chen finally had some time alone with his childhood sweetheart.

They strolled along the clear stream that ran through the island, chatting casually and without restraint.

From Xia Chen's almost forgotten childhood anecdotes to her experiences during this year's study tour, and even her visions for the future, the awkwardness caused by not seeing each other for so long was gradually replaced by a familiar atmosphere.